How to draw the flag of Japan

The flag of Japan is a plain white field, with a red disc at the centre. Its official proportions are 3:2. Below is how to construct it step by step, with the measurements written as fractions so they work at any size — on paper, on a whiteboard or in an art program. If you would rather test yourself first, you can draw it from memory and get scored.

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Step by step

  1. Start with a rectangle in the proportions 3:2. If you are working on paper, 15 cm wide by 10 cm tall is a convenient size — every measurement below is given as a fraction, so any size works as long as the shape is right.
  2. Fill the whole rectangle with white (#ffffff).
  3. Draw a red circle with a radius of 30% of the height (a diameter of 60%), centred in the middle of the flag.

The colours

These are the shades used in the reference drawing. Official specifications are usually given in Pantone; the hex values below are the closest common screen equivalents.

The mistakes people make

Test yourself

Reading how a flag is built and being able to reproduce it from memory are different skills, and the gap between them is bigger than most people expect. Draw the flag of Japan from memory and the game will score how close you got, or try today's flag if you want to be surprised.

Other flags to draw